Day 3 I envy those that can exercise

The Day 3 post is supposed to be about the last time I exercised or did something physical. I had one particular tough day of migraine, muscle aches, numbness, and overall pain and decided to tell myself that I have nothing structurally wrong with me and that I should see past the pain. So, I bought some flowers and planted them with my kids in the yard. I actually love gardening and gave it up when the chronic migraines started. My doctor told me I should stop thinking of myself as unable to do things and instead gently start to incorporating exercise again.

Although the gardening did not make my pain better, it did help me mentally. Two weeks ago I had 5 days of noticeable improvement after reading The Divided Mind and then backslid. I'm really hoping this program helps and that I don't get discouraged.

Christina

 

Keep at it, Christina! One of the most demoralizing things about chronic pain is the physical limitation. We all long to do the things we used to before the pain began. Fear is a strong force, especially when trying to get back to exercise. It is true that a TMS diagnosis means that there is no physical damage occurring in our body when we feel that chronic pain. I have gotten back to doing more physical things by making manageable goals. I don't recommend trying to run 5 miles on your first attempt at exercise in weeks/months/years. Responding to the fear of pain with confident defiance has worked well for me in recent weeks (I'm 4 weeks into the program). Start with something small, like a walk around the neighborhood, and slowly increase your activity on a daily or weekly basis. You will gain confidence in your body's health. When starting my exercise, I listen to the 12 daily TMS reminders by Dr. Sarno from his Healing Back Pain audiobook. We need to be reminded that our bodies are healthy even when feeling TMS pain. From there, I find some upbeat music or a favorite podcast to listen to. I've found that focusing on words in the song, the subject being discussed in the podcast, or even to my breathing keep my mind busy enough to evade those worries of pain.

Good luck to you and I hope to hear some great progress reports in the coming days and weeks!

- Matt